Many electronic devices provide an option for a user to enter information. For example, a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone) may use an input device, such as a keypad or a touchscreen, for receiving user input. A touchscreen may send a signal to the device when a user touches a virtual object on the touchscreen with a finger or a pointing device.
In order to maximize portability, manufacturers frequently design mobile devices to be as small as possible. One problem associated with small mobile devices is that there may be limited space for the user interface. For example, the size of a display, such as a touchscreen display, may be relatively small. Similarly, for mobile devices that include a keyboard or keypad, the keys may be smaller or more tightly arranged than a “normal” one. The small display size or key size may make it difficult for the user to easily interact with the mobile device.
To assist users in entering text via keypads or touchscreens, predictive text entry techniques are known in which the current set of characters, entered by the user, are used to predict one or more words. The predicted words may be presented to the user. The user may choose one of the predicted words to complete the word that the user is currently entering.